Developing Your Resume

A workshop series brought to you by

the Purdue University Writing Lab
 Overview of Sections

• The Objective Statement

• Contact Information

• Education

• Experience

• Honors and Activities

The Objective Statement
A workshop brought to you by the
Purdue University Writing Lab
 What is an objective
statement?
• A short section (usually 1-3 lines), often in
the form of a sentence fragment,
immediately below your contact
information
• An “at a glance” picture of you and your
career interests
• Other names: Professional Objective,
Resume Capsule, Career Goals, etc.
 Why write one?

• Emphasize key qualifications, skills and/or

goals

• Help your readers find what they need to

know quickly

• Make a good first impression

• Relate company goals to personal goals

 Q: Is this a good objective
statement?

An internship allowing me to utilize my

knowledge and expertise in different areas

• Well-written but raises too many questions

• For example: What kind of internship?
• What knowledge?
• What kinds of expertise?
• Which areas?
• How will you contribute to this company?
 A good objective statement
answers questions

• What position(s) are you applying for?

• What are your main qualifications?
• What are your career goals?
• What is your professional identity?
• How can you help the company?
 The importance of tailoring

• Sometimes one size does NOT fit

all
• Each person and employer is
unique in certain ways
• Aim for a custom fit when possible,
but how?
 Getting started...

• Reflect on your overall qualifications and

career goals: In what ways are they
typical? Unique?
• Research individual employers in your
field: In what ways are employers alike?
Different?
 Questions about you

• What are your main qualifications,

strengths, skills, and areas of expertise?
• What position(s)--or type of position--are
you seeking?
• What are some of your professional goals?
• What type of organization or work setting
are you most interested in?
 Questions about employers

• What qualifications are most desired by

employers in your field?
• What positions are available on the job
market? What are they titled?
• What are some goals of the organizations
that interest you?
• What kinds of organizations are now
hiring?
 “Instant” objective
statements
• For practice, fill in the parts in
brackets
– To utilize my [qualifications, strengths, or skills]
as a [position title]
– A position as a [position title] for [company name]
allowing me to develop my [qualifications,
strengths, or skills]
– An opportunity to [professional goal] in a [type of
organization, work environment, or field]
– [position title] with emphasis in [areas of
expertise]
 Which of your objective
statements is “best”?
• The one that best…
– Emphasizes your qualifications and/or goals
– Appeals to employer expectations
• A trick question: You’ll probably need to
write more than one objective statement.
• Tailor for each type of position that
interests you and, for best results, modify
for each particular employer (as
necessary)
Brought to you by Daniel T.
using the ppt template provided by Purdue OWL

SUMMARY OF
QULIFICATIONS
 Summary of Qualifications

• This section is a list of the top three

or four reasons you are qualified for
the job you are seeking.
• This section, though not shown in
traditional resumes, attracts the
employer’s attention to what you can
do, what you are good at, and how
you are qualified for the job.
 You should say something…

• How much experience you have in

the field of your job objective, in a
related field, or using the skills
required for you new position.
• As overall career accomplishment
that shows you would be good at this
job.
• What someone would say about you
as a recommendation.
 Example

Objective: Customer Service Assistant

Summary of Qualifications
• Three years experience as an assistant in
Wenzao Student Association
• Skilled at negotiating students’ needs with
school administration office
• “You have minimized the complaints students
have toward school administration.”
– Dr. Tsai, Director of Office of Student Affairs
 Example

Objective: Technical Sales Account

Manager
Summary of Qualifications
• 13 years as an engineer collaborating on key
marketing for one of the nation’s largest
corporations.
• Enjoy making sales presentations that motivate
audiences to “buy into” new products.
• Technical versatility: construction, computer
systems, and safty
 Check list

Here is a list to help you better come up

with a summary of qualifications.
1. How much experience do you have in
this profession, in this field, or using the
required skills?
2. What other experience do you have that
will be a bonus to the employer?
 Check list

Here is a list to help you better come up

with a summary of qualifications.
3. What strengths do you have that makes
this job a good fit for you?
4. Do you have any technical, linguistic, or
artistic talents that would be useful on
the job?
 Check list

Here is a list to help you better come up

with a summary of qualifications.
5. What credentials do you have that are
important for this job?
6. What personal commitments or passions
do you have that would be valued by the
employer?
The Contact Information
Section
A workshop brought to you by the
Purdue University Writing Lab
What is a contact information
section?
• Easy answer…
• A section that
– Provides information to help prospective
employers contact you
– Presents a first impression
– Is usually located at the top of the page
 What may you include?

• Name, of course!
• Address and phone
– Campus
– Permanent
• Email
• Web address
• Fax number
• Any other means of contact
Q: Is this a good sample?

Your Name Here

1234 Streetname, #1
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Student@univ.edu
765-555-5555
Moving beyond the typewriter

• Use design strategies

• Picking fonts
– Size
– Type
– Highlighting
• Using layout
– Alignment
– Columns
• Coordinate with rest of resume
 Using fonts

• Size: how big is big enough?

• Two major kinds:
– Serif
– Sans serif
• Text highlighting: bold, italics, caps,
underline, special effects
 Putting it on the page

Aligning text
1. Flush left
2. Center
3. Flush right
Using columns
1. Both left and right
2. Left, right and center
 Q: Is this sample better?

Your Name Here

Campus Address Permanent Address
1234 Streetname, #1 4321 Streetname
West Lafayette, IN 47907 Anytown, IN 12345
yourname@university.edu http://univ.edu/~login
765-555-5555 555-555-1234
 Adding a graphic element

• May include horizontal line

• May possibly include a small graphic
element
 Coordinate design strategies

• Match design with rest of resume

– Use same font types
– Use consistent layout
• Match with cover letter
– Make stationary template based on contact
info
– Use same paper for all application
documents
• Aim for a professional package
Proofread with a magnifying
glass

• Triple-check for accuracy

• One typo could cost you an

interview!
The Education Section
What is an education section?

• A section that emphasizes your educational

background and formal training, individualizing
for an organization.

• Usually a major section for college students

and recent graduates
 Purposes: to inform and
persuade

• Give information about your schooling

and training
• Persuade employers your educational
background is relevant to the job,
providing evidence of your qualifications
• Help your resume stand out from others
in the stack
 Where should you place this
section?
• Above or below your experience section?
• It depends…
– Which is stronger, your education or your
work experience section?
– How much relevant work experience do you
have?
• Place strongest, most relevant section
closest to top of the page
 The “bare bones” education
section
• Schools you have attended, including universities,
community colleges, technical schools, etc.

• Location of school(s)

• Date of graduation, actual or anticipated

• Degree(s) earned or pursued

• Grade Point Average (GPA)

• Courses taken outside of typical major classes that may

add to qualifications of job
 Are we done yet?

Education
B.A. in English
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
Anticipated Graduation:
December 2007
GPA: 3.4/4.0
 What else may be included?
Extra information about your degree (major,
minor or selective GPAs, funding sources,
honors, etc.)—usually listed or included in
parentheses
Specializations and special projects—usually
listed or described briefly
Other relevant skills and training (relevant
coursework, computer skills, language
proficiency, certifications, licenses, etc.)—may
be subsections or separate sections
 Questions to answer
• What are my major and minor
GPAs?
• Any honors related to my
degree?
• How is my education funded?
• What are my major(s) and
minor(s)? What are my areas of
emphasis, specialization, or
concentration?
• What special course or degree-
related projects may be relevant?
• What courses have I taken
that are related to my career
goals?
• With what computer
programs am I most familiar?
• What language proficiencies
do I have?
• Any certifications or licenses?
• Do I have any on-the-job
educational training such as
in-house training programs?
Designing content for readers

• Consider using…
o Subheadings
o Indenting
o Columns/tables
o Parentheses
o Bulleted lists
o Paragraphs

• Match with rest of page

 Are we done now?

Education B.A. in Professional Writing, Purdue

University, West Lafayette, Indiana,
May 2007 (Funded 100% of Schooling)
Concentration: Business and Technical
Writing
Select Coursework: Computer-aided
Publishing, Writing for the Computer
Industry, Business Writing, Technical
Writing, Advanced Professional Writing
Overall GPA: 3.4/4.0 Major GPA: 3.7/4.0
The Experience Section
What is an experience section?

• A section that demonstrates your most

relevant experience in work or activities.
• Other common names: Professional
Experience, Work History, Field Work,
Volunteer Work, etc.
• Special names: Technical Experience,
Supervisory Experience, Aviation
Experience, etc.
 Informing to persuade

• Provide information to help persuade

prospective employers that your
experiences make you qualified for the
job and that you align with the
organization’s goals
• Help your resume stand out from others
in the stack
• Construct your professional identity
What goes into this section?

• Company or organization and location

(city, state)
• Position title
• Dates of employment or involvement
• Descriptions of responsibilities, duties,
achievements, etc.
• Use action verbs to describe duties!
 Where should you put this
section?
• Above or below your education section?
• It depends…
– How much work experience do you have?
– Which is stronger, your education or your
work experience section?
• Place strongest, most relevant section
closest to top of the page
 Getting started…
List your past and present experiences.
Include:
– jobs
– volunteer positions
– appointments
– assistantships
– internships
– any activities that used the same
duties or qualifications that may be
used in the job you’re applying for
 Describing experiences
• To tailor the content of this section, circle
each item that is…
– Related to your career goals
– Asked for in job ads and descriptions
• Choose one experience you circled and
describe briefly
 Developing your descriptions
• Use varied action words to describe experiences
• Answer the journalistic questions:
– Who?…With whom did you work?
– What? …What duties did you perform?
– Where? …Where did your job fit into the
organization?
– Why? …What goals were you trying to accomplish?
– When? …What timelines were you working under?
– How? …What procedures did you follow?
Developing your descriptions
Example
Before:
• planned activities

Questions asked: What kinds?, How?,

When?, For Whom?

After:
• planned arts, crafts, activities, and exercises
weekly for physically-challenged children
 Making your descriptions
parallel
COLUMN A COLUMN B
• Recording OSHA • Recorded OSHA
regulated documents regulated documents
• Material purchasing • Conducted material
and expediting purchasing and
• Prepared weekly field expediting
payroll • Prepared weekly
• Responsible for payroll
charge orders • Processed charge
orders
 Try to see your experiences
as a professional would
UNDERSTATED
– Answered phone
– Wiped tables
PROFESSIONAL
– Acted as liaison between clients and
legal staff
– Created healthy environment for
customers and maintained positive
public image
 Ways to tailor this section

• Select content that supports your

qualifications and matches job
description
• Consider organizing by order of
importance
• Use professional wording, integrating
job-specific terms, verbs are action-
oriented
 A formula for success
• Tailor for your audience
• Use appropriate headings
• Included required content
• Organize your section strategically
• Develop your descriptions
• Make your descriptions parallel
• See through potential employer’s eyes
 The Honors and
Activities Section
 What is an honors and
activities section?
• A section that emphasizes your participation
in relevant activities and any honors you
have received
• Other names
– Awards
– Memberships
– Volunteer Work
 Why bother?

• Fill up white space

• Provide additional evidence of your
qualifications
• Give employers a sense of who you are
outside of school and work
 Where does this section go?

• Usually last section on the page

• Can be moved up if information is
especially important or relevant
• Sometimes omitted if there is a lack of
space or relevant information
 What goes into it?

Draw three columns, one for each of the

following:
• Titles or positions
• Sponsors or affiliated organizations
• Dates of involvement (M/Y-M/Y or Y- Y)
 Exploring content
possibilities

• Extracurricular activities
• Awards, grants, prizes, and special honors
• Memberships in professional clubs and
organization
• Volunteer activities
 Big or little? Major or minor?

• How relevant are your honors and activities to

the job you are applying to?
• Which honors and activities would most
interest prospective employers?
• How much space do you have? Choose and
organize your information to emphasize the
most relevant activities.
 Two approaches

Minimal approach
Photography Club, University of Illinois,
January 1999-Present
Elaborated approach
President, Photography Club, University of
Illinois, January 1999-Present
Ø Organized campus contest
Ø Increased membership with promotional efforts
 Using visual design

• Simple list
• Columns
• List with bulleted descriptions
• Coordinate with other sections
 Plan of attack

• Brainstorm
• Decide what to include based on relevance,
interest-value, and space considerations
• Match organization and design with rest of
resume
• Seek critical feedback
 For More Help Developing
Your Resume…
Contact the Purdue University Writing Lab

• Heavilon 226
• Grammar Hotline: (765) 494-3723
• Check our web site:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu
• Email brief questions:
owl@owl.english.purdue.edu
The End